The waters are getting a bit murky about just exactly when Husky Energy detected the rupture of their pipeline beside the North Saskatchewan River south of Paradise Hill.
The spill of 200 to 250 cubic metres of heavy oil and diluent was originally reported to have occurred last Thursday.
A report from Husky Energy now indicates problems with the pipeline were first detected at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, but the pipeline wasn’t shut down until 10:30 a.m. the next day.
That has those affected by the spill asking questions. The foremost of which is, what took so long?
It is imperative Husky examine its policies and procedures, because, to the layman at least, a more than 12-hour delay in taking action seems excessive.
And the consequences of that delay are proving to be long-lasting and far-reaching.
Husky has said it will be covering the costs regarding this spill. That will go part way to salvaging the energy giant’s reputation, but a thorough review is also needed to restore any confidence the public may have had in oil pipelines.
